


M-A-R-R-Y-M-E

by blame1988



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Flashbacks, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 16:53:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2075712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blame1988/pseuds/blame1988
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Patrick doesn’t know exactly what it is that makes him decide to finally pop the question. It could be the way Jonny looks at him and smiles when they wake up next to each other in the morning; it could be the way Jonny kisses him when they’re alone after a win or the way he comforts him after a loss; it could be the way Patrick’s heart feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest when he thinks about how much he truly loves Jonny. Whatever it is, Patrick knows he’s doing the right thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	M-A-R-R-Y-M-E

They’ve been together for six years and Patrick knows that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Jonny. Has basically known it since the second month he and Jonny had been together. They’d always kept it a secret in the past; the important people knew—their families and their teammates—but that was it. It had always been taboo to be a gay professional hockey player. That was until Sidney Crosby had come out a year ago, and he was too damn good at hockey for anyone to really care. He and Evgeni Malkin had opened the doors for about a dozen other players, including Patrick and Jonny, throughout the league to be free to finally be themselves and not fear the public’s reaction.

Patrick doesn’t know exactly what it is that makes him decide to finally pop the question. It could be the way Jonny looks at him and smiles when they wake up next to each other in the morning; it could be the way Jonny kisses him when they’re alone after a win or the way he comforts him after a loss; it could be the way Patrick’s heart feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest when he thinks about how much he truly loves Jonny. Whatever it is, Patrick knows he’s doing the right thing.

The decision to propose is an easy one to make. It’s figuring out how to do it that’s stumping Patrick. So he does what he does best; he consults his sisters. It’s the offseason—they got knocked out in the second round—so Patrick flies home for a few days without Jonny to get things planned. His sisters have a million ideas, most of which are absolutely ridiculous, but some of them are great. He resolves against anything overly hockey related like spelling it out it with pucks and hockey sticks (Jackie's idea) or carving it into the ice with his skates (“Really Erica?”), feeling it would be just a little bit too cliché, even for him and Jonny. (Okay, he might throw one or two hockey related things in there. Jessica's jersey suggestion had been pretty good. How could he not? They're Kane and Toews.) He also concludes that he definitely wants to propose in Chicago, because that’s their home, the home that they’ve built together over the years. He finally determines how he’s going to do this thing, and with notes from his sisters on how to make it perfect he flies back home to Chicago, back home to Jonny.

Before he goes home from the airport, Patrick has to make a quick stop at Target to buy a game of Scrabble. He knows that Jonny has a well-used one at home that they put to use quite frequently—it’s why he’s proposing this way—but he wants the letters to be shiny and new. He wants everything to be perfect for Jonny.

Patrick invites his family and Jonny’s to Chicago a week later, puts them up in a nearby hotel so they can be there to celebrate the engagement when Jonny (hopefully) says yes. Family is important to Pat and he knows it’s important to Jonny too. Plus, Andree is another key part of Patrick’s plan. Her job is to take Jonny to dinner while Patrick and his sisters get things set up.

***

When Jonny gets home from dinner with his mother there’s a note taped to the front door of their house. He looks at it curiously for a moment before removing it from the door and reading its message.

_Open the door and head inside_  
_Search for something that I did hide_  
_Look in the place where we eat breakfast together_  
_And don’t expect my rhyming to get any better_

Jonny grins as he sees that it’s signed with “P Kane 88” and he follows the directions. He unlocks the door and walks into the kitchen. Sitting on the island counter is a scrabble letter, a W. Jonny picks it up and turns it over in his fingers before picking up the note it had been sitting on.

_W stands for When I first met you_  
_I knew I could never forget you_  
_I hope you’ll never forget me_  
_Or the place where we officially became WE (like boyfriends)_  
_(Go there, in case you didn’t get that)_

Jonny can’t help but giggle goofily as he reads the last part. It’s just so Patrick. He knows exactly where Patrick is talking about. 

It had happened after a practice at Jonny’s Ice House. Patrick’s family was coming into town to watch a few games and to spend Patrick’s birthday with him. They hadn’t told anyone about them yet; it was still just new enough that they didn’t know exactly what to say. It was obviously pretty serious, they were exclusive and they had used the L-word, but they still hadn’t put official labels on their relationship.

Jonny didn’t care about the labels, he just cared about Pat. But Pat started bugging him as they walked out to Jonny’s car.

“What am I supposed to say to them, Jonny? Like what are we? Officially? You know they’ll ask. They like to pry.”

“Tell them whatever you want Pat,” Jonny answered as they got into the car.

“But what do you want?” Pat turned to him, voice small and an insecure look on his face.

“Patrick,” Jonny started, reaching over and cupping Pat’s jaw with his hand. “I want you.” He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Patrick’s lips.

“So, do you want to like, be my boyfriend?” Patrick asked quietly when Jonny pulled away.

“Yes,” Jonny answered immediately and kissed Patrick again.

“And it’s ok if I tell my parents that you’re my boyfriend?”

“Yes.” Jonny gave him another kiss.

“And can I tell my sisters that you’re my boyfriend?”

“Yes.” Another kiss.

“Can I tell my grandparents that you’re my boyfriend?”

“You just want any excuse to call me your boyfriend, don’t you?” Jonny asked with a smirk on his face. Patrick’s cheeks were tinged with pink when he nodded and kissed Jonny again.

“Are you gonna tell your parents that I’m your boyfriend?”

“Absolutely. The next time they’re in town. I’d kind of rather it be face to face when it’s something this important, you know,” Jonny answered. Patrick seemed satisfied by his answer as he leaned over to kiss Jonny one more time.

Jonny heads back outside to his car now, starts the engine, and drives to the Ice House, to where Patrick had become his boyfriend. Once he gets there he sees another note taped to the outside door. This time the Scrabble tile is an I; Jonny puts it in his pocket along with the W. Then he reads the note, a lingering grin on his face.

_I stands for If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it_  
_So I’m gonna put a ring on it_  
_I think Beyoncé said it best_  
_Look inside the treasure chest_  
_(It’s in the locker room)_

Jonny’s breath catches a little in his throat as he reads the first two lines. He’d had suspicions over what this was about, with the notes and the letters and the way Patrick had been acting odder than usual over the past week. But Pat totally confirms it in the dorkiest way possible, with Beyoncé lyrics. Now Jonny is excited to find the rest, to see what else Pat has to say.

Jonny is confused when he reads the last line because he has no idea about any treasure chest, and the Ice House should be closed. But when he tries the door he discovers that it’s unlocked, so he heads toward the locker room. When he enters, it’s pretty obvious, because sitting in the middle of the floor is an actual treasure chest. Patrick must have put it there along with the clues. Jonny hesitantly opens the chest. Even though he knows Patrick is trying to be romantic, he still can’t be one hundred percent sure that Pat wouldn’t prank him at the same time. After all, he had included ridiculous Beyoncé lyrics.

When he gets the chest all the way open, he realizes his fears were completely unwarranted. Inside lies another Scrabble letter, an L. He deposits the L in his pocket and reads the accompanying note.

_L obviously stands for Love, and I have a lot_  
_It’s all for you baby, so let’s give it a (slap) shot_  
_I know that we can’t miss_  
_Go to where we had our first kiss_

Jonny rolls his eyes a bit at the slap shot hockey reference, but in the end it just makes him smile more. He loves that Pat included something hockey related, because it’s a huge part of their lives, what makes them _them_.

Then he allows himself to lose himself in the memory of their first kiss.

It honestly wasn't the best first kiss, technically speaking, with the amount of alcohol that had been involved. Jonny could definitely admit that. But the fact that it had been with Patrick made it perfect to Jonny. It was after they had won their first Stanley Cup in 2010. They were back in Chicago, celebrating with the team and with their fans. Jonny and Patrick had been sticking together all night, hanging off of each other and drinking out of the Cup.

At some point they found themselves alone, away from all of their teammates, heading towards the bathroom which was miraculously empty save for them.

“We did it Jonny,” Patrick had breathed out with a giant smile that hadn't left his face all night. “You and me babe. We did it.”

“Yeah we did.” Jonny was in a daze, feeling euphoric with the alcohol flowing freely through his veins and the pure happiness that had come with winning the Stanley Cup. He didn't really know how exactly it had happened, but when Jonny snapped out of his daze Patrick was standing less than an inch away. Still, to this day he has no idea who had moved first, but their lips had found each other's in a sloppy, biting kiss with little finesse but a lot of enthusiasm, and Jonny had felt like he was being electrified in the best possible way. They had pulled apart as soon as they heard the door opening, but Jonny couldn't stop staring at Patrick, wondering what the hell had just happened. 

They hadn't kissed again until a couple days later, but then they pretty much never stopped. 

Shaking himself from his memories, Jonny heads back to his car and drives to the bar. He isn't sure if he will have to actually go into the bathroom, but he gets his answer when he starts toward the door. The bouncer stops him before he can even enter.

“Jonathan Toews?” he asks, looking down at a picture in his hand.

“Uh, yeah. That's me.”

“This is for you.” He hands Jonny a Scrabble letter, another L, followed by a note scrawled in Pat's handwriting.

“Thanks,” Jonny says to the bouncer before stepping to a free part of the sidewalk, out of the way of the bar entrance, to read Pat's note.

_L is also for Lucky, and I am that with you_  
_I’m lucky that you’re mine and that I’m yours too_  
_I’m lucky you’re my teammate on the Chicago Blackhawks_  
_Take a look inside your glove box_

At least that one will be easy, Jonny thinks as he walks back to his car. He wonders how long it's been in there, who put it there, and thinks Pat is lucky he didn't need anything in there before now. 

Inside the glove box Jonny finds a Y and yet another note.

_Y stands for You because you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me_  
_And that includes playing hockey_  
_For you, I would give it all up_  
_Go to the place where we won our Stanley Cup_  
_(The third one, don’t go to Philly or Boston, even I’m not that crazy)_

Reading that Patrick would give up hockey for him, and knowing that he would definitely do the same for Patrick, makes Jonny's heart clench in his chest. Hockey has always been number one for Jonny and for Patrick, but now they're number one for each other.

After he gets past that part, he smiles as he thinks about where he's headed next. He's going to the UC, where just the year before Jonny and Patrick and the Hawks had won their third Stanley Cup in six years, finally on home ice in front of all of their amazing fans. 

He's not exactly sure where in the United Center he needs to be but apparently Patrick had thought of everything. There are convenient arrows on the walls pointing Jonny in the right direction. Of course he ends up in the middle of the floor, right about where their bench would normally be. There's a jersey slung over one of the seats, and Jonny picks it up. In the middle of the logo there's a letter, this time an O. He flips the jersey over, looking for a note that should accompany it, but he doesn't see one.

What he does see instead is the number 88 and the name Toews displayed across the top. Jonny's breath catches in his throat as he thinks about Patrick taking his name. He doesn't even know if he wants that, or if Patrick really wants that—they can talk about that later—but it makes something inside of Jonny go crazy with possessive thoughts that Patrick is _his_. Patrick belongs to Jonny, and Jonny belongs to Patrick.

After a few moments Jonny is shaken from his musings when the jumbotron comes to life.

 _Hi Jonny!!!!_ is the first thing that pops up, followed by the note Jonny had been looking for.

_O is for the Only one for me_  
_That’s you, in case you couldn’t see_  
_I like you when you’re on bottom or on top ;)_  
_Now go to our favorite coffee shop_

Jonny blushes a little at the sexual comment, thankful that no one else is around to see it or see his reaction. But it's honestly exactly what he should have expected from Patrick. He takes another few moments looking at the jersey still in his hands before he takes it with him to his car and starts his drive to the coffee shop where Jonny and Pat go almost every day after practice.

It's a cute little family owned place where they make foam art designs in every cup. It's somewhere Jonny and Patrick can go without getting bothered by fans and other nosy people. Jonny can sling an arm around Pat's shoulders and no one even bats an eye. They can hold hands on top of the table and Helen, the little old lady at the counter, smiles at them brightly.

When Jonny gets there the lights are on even though it's well past closing time. The fact that the owners are obviously helping Patrick out makes the place even more charming.

Inside, sitting on the counter, is a cup of coffee with a foam heart, the letter U, and a note. Jonny takes a sip of the coffee and takes the letters he's collected so far out of his pocket. He tries to remember the order he found them to see exactly what Pat has spelled out so far. It's not too difficult to see that it spells out WILL YOU and Jonny has a pretty good suspicion of what the rest of the letters will be.

Now that he has that figured out, he puts them back in his pocket and picks up the note to read.

_U is for Unbelievable, I can’t believe you're mine_  
_Because your booty is so fine_  
_Seriously, dat ass is so fly and you’re sexy as hell_  
_Go to the place where I told you I fell_  
_(In love. With you. Told you the rhyming wouldn’t get better)_

Jonny snorts, because of course Patrick would write an ode to his ass and include it in the journey of his marriage proposal.

Jonny remembers the first time Pat told him he loved him vividly. It's tied for the best day of his life so far. (The others are obviously the days he had won his Stanley Cups, and he's glad that Pat had been at his side then too.)

After they had drunkenly kissed they had started hooking up regularly, friends with benefits or whatever, but it had never been as casual as a true friends with benefits relationship should be. There were always underlying feelings on Jonny's part and he had found out that was true for Patrick too. For a while they kept up the pretenses of keeping it casual, keeping it just buddies, because neither of them really wanted to screw anything up.

But then one day they were at Pat's old condo, hanging out like they normally did. When Jonny had started to kiss Patrick, he kissed back for just a moment before pulling away far too soon in Jonny's opinion. Jonny looked at Patrick, asked what was wrong, and Patrick snapped a little bit.

“What the hell are we even doing Jonny?”

“Well, we were kissing...” Jonny trailed off, not entirely sure what Patrick was getting at. 

“You know what I mean asshole. Between us. Am I just a convenient fuck? Someone to help you get off whenever you feel like it?” Pat asked bitterly.

“Pat, of course not.” Jonny didn't know what to say. He didn't know what Patrick was looking for. Until...

“Because I love you Jonny.” Jonny couldn't believe what he was hearing, had waited so long to hear Patrick say it. “But I can't keep doing this if you don't feel the same way. I just can't.”

Jonny hated how absolutely vulnerable Patrick sounded, how scared he looked. He never wanted Patrick to feel that way again. Luckily, he had a way to hopefully prevent that.

He grabbed Patrick's hand in his own and kissed his fingers softly. “I love you too Pat. I have loved you for, god, I don't even know how long. I was just scared, ok? I didn't want to ruin anything. I was just happy that I had you at all, even if it wasn't exactly the way I wanted it. But I love you so much Patrick. I really do.”

And Patrick started laughing.

“What.” Jonny stared at him, wide eyed and flabbergasted, which just made Patrick laugh harder.

“We're both idiots,” he finally managed to gasp out after somewhat containing his giggles.

“So I tell you I love you and you call me an idiot. Nice.”

“Hey, I called us _both_ idiots. I've loved you for years Jonny and. And we were both just too _dumb_ to say it. Tell me again Jonny.” Patrick smiled at him.

“I love you,” Jonny happily obliged.

Pat kissed him, pulled away, said, “Again.”

“I love you.” Jonny grinned at him.

“I love you too.” Patrick smiled at Jonny like he was the Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal all rolled into one. And in that moment Jonny felt like he had everything he ever needed.

Pat doesn't live there anymore; they had moved in together about two years ago, into a new place that is theirs together. But Jonny can still drive to the old building and figure it out from there. Once he gets there he steps out of his car and decides to talk to the doorman first, figuring it to be his best bet. He's right, because as soon as he says hello he is handed a Scrabble tile, an M, and a note. He thanks the doorman before going back to his car to read the note.

_M stands for Me because I am your boo_  
_And I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you (right?)_  
_I couldn’t say no when he told me to my face_  
_Sorry that you have to go to Sharpy’s place_

Jonny groans because basically the last thing he wants to do at the moment is go see Sharpy. He wants to go find Pat and tell him yes already, tell Pat that he _is_ the best thing that's ever happened to him. However, Jonny has no idea where Patrick actually is, so he begrudgingly drives to Sharpy's house.

Before he can even knock on the door, it's being opened by a one Patrick Sharp, terrifying grin and all.

“Hello Toes,” Sharpy drawls. 

“Why are you involved in this?” Jonny doesn't feel the need to waste any time with niceties. He just wants to get his next note and be on his way, as far away from Sharpy as possible. He doesn't need any pranks being played on him when he's in the process of being proposed to.

“I’m Peeks’ best man. Obviously.” 

_Obviously_. Jonny rolls his eyes. 

“Congratulations,” he replies drily. “Do you have something for me or what.”

“Do I ever Toes.”

“Can I have it?”

“Peeks told me I wasn't supposed to read it but come on. Do you think he honestly thought I wouldn't?”

“I don't know but seriously Sharpy, come on,” Jonny urges. He really wants to go and be another step closer to Pat.

“Alright, alright. Don't get your Captain Serious panties in a twist. This is for you.” He hands Jonny the letter A. “An A from your favorite A,” he says with a leer and a wink.

“Anything else?” Jonny asks when Sharpy makes no motion to hand him a note. Jonny knows the drill by now and he knows there should be a note.

“Yep.” Sharpy is still grinning like a maniac.

“Ok?”

And then Sharpy holds up the note, and proceeds to read it to Jonny, in a horrible falsetto complete with batting eyelashes and ridiculous kissy faces.

_A is for Another thing I love about Jonathan Toews_  
_I have more love for you than Crow does saves_  
_Oh, and speaking of Crow_  
_The next clue is at his humble abode_

“Well isn’t that just the most precious thing you have ever heard in your life Toes? It just sets my heart a-flutter,” Sharpy says, back to his normal, mocking tone of voice.

Jonny makes sure to let Sharpy know how much he hates him before he snatches the note out of his hand and drives to Corey's.

At least, Jonny thinks, Corey will be a lot easier to deal with than Sharpy.

He knocks on the door and Corey answers, looking confused yet expectant when he greets Jonny.

“Why am I involved in this?” He asks and hands over the note and an R easily.

Jonny's pretty sure he knows why Patrick chose to involve Corey. He's the one who Jonny is closest with on the team, besides Patrick of course. Jonny's also pretty sure he would choose Corey as the best man if he didn't have a younger brother. He can still be a groomsman though, definitely.

“You know you're going to be in the wedding party right?” 

“Cool,” Corey replies casually, smiles, and then goes back inside.

Jonny yells a goodbye and reads the note right outside of Corey's door.

_R stands for Rings which we’ll soon be wearing_  
_We’ll look at them and we won’t stop staring_  
_You’re close to the end of this scavenger hunt_  
_Go back to your car and look in the front_  
_(seat. Rhyming is hard)_

When Jonny gets back to his car there is indeed something sitting on his front seat. Something that had not been there when he had gotten out to talk to Corey.

“What the hell?” Jonny says to himself out loud, wondering exactly how it had gotten there. He looks around outside, to see if anyone is nearby, but there's nothing out of the ordinary. He resolves to ask Pat about that later. For now he has another note to read and another R to add to his collection of letters.

_R is also for Real because that’s what our relationship is_  
_Being with you will always be a whiz_  
_You’re almost there babe, you’re almost done my sweet_  
_There’s another clue in the back seat_

Jonny turns around to find the clue, and grabs it easily. He realizes with the Y he's adding now the words WILL YOU MARRY have been spelled out so far.

_Y is for Yes which I hope is your reply_  
_Because if you say no I’ll probably cry_  
_I know you've figured out what I’m spelling_  
_So come and find me in our dwelling_

Finally, he thinks with a smile on his face. Jonny gets to go home to Patrick and say yes. He can't keep the smile off his face on the whole drive home, while he parks the car, or while he walks to the front door. There’s a note taped to the door, once again, and an M that only makes his smile get bigger.

_M is for Marriage and how great it will be_  
_If you choose to say yes to me_  
_There’s only one more letter to find your groom_  
_Come and get me in our room_

Jonny opens the door and rushes up the stairs to their room to see Patrick standing in the middle of it, holding the letter E in his hand. Even though Jonny knew it was coming it's still somewhat of a surprise to him, seeing Patrick holding up that final letter, and everything is completely real now.

“Patrick,” Jonny breathes out, wanting to just scream YES and kiss him for hours, but before he can do any of that Patrick starts speaking.

“E is for Everything because that’s what I love about you. I hope you’ll tell me that you love me too.”

“I love you too Pat,” Jonny interrupts with a huge grin on his face.

“Please, Jonny, I’m not finished. Don’t interrupt,” Patrick scolds but he can’t fight off a grin of his own.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Jonny's smile grows impossibly bigger.

“I’ve loved you for six years and it’s as simple as can be.” Patrick gets down on one knee before he says the last line of his final little poem. “Jonathan Bryan Toews, will you marry me?” He holds up a gold engagement ring, and it's simple and elegant and absolutely perfect.

The word yes rushes out of Jonny's mouth, hovers in the air for a moment before Patrick stands up, slips the ring on Jonny's finger, and kisses him all in one fluid motion.

Jonny almost can't believe it, they're getting married.

***

Once Patrick can finally bear to pull away from Jonny, his grin practically splits his face in two. “Look on the inside,” he says, and grabs at Jonny's ring. The ring he had just put on his finger, because Jonny said yes! They're getting married!

Jonny slides the ring off his finger to look at the engraving Patrick had had done. Patrick wanted it to be simple, just like the ring, but he had to have something. He had decided, eight months ago when he had bought the ring, to have 1988 engraved on the inside. It's the year they were born and their numbers put together. It's a number that means Kane&Toews, Jonny&Pat and it is all Patrick will ever need.

Jonny huffs out a laugh when he reads it. “Wow,” is all he says. And then it's Patrick's turn to be surprised, because Jonny shakes his head and reaches into one of his dresser drawers.

“Patrick,” he says again, before handing him a small black box. Patrick just stares at him in shock for a moment before he finally opens the box, peering inside to find a ring almost identical to the one he had picked out for Jonny.

“Jonny,” Patrick gasps, looking up into Jonny's eyes. Patrick's pretty sure he's crying now, and Jonny's eyes look suspiciously wet as well.

“Look on the inside.”

Patrick laughs wetly when he sees it, 1988, of course. “We are such losers,” Pat chuckles. “How long have you had this?” 

“About five months. I was trying to figure out how to ask you, how to make it perfect. But it looks like you beat me to it. I have to ask anyway. Patrick Timothy Kane II, will you marry me?” 

“You know I will.” Patrick puts the ring on his own finger before burying his hand in the hair at the nape of Jonny's neck, running his fingers through it, and kissing Jonny like his life depends on it.

Patrick feels like he's on top of the world. He's going to marry his best friend; he's going to marry his Jonny.

The next morning, after spending the night consummating their engagement and staring at their rings, Jonathan and Patrick meet their families for brunch to share the great news.

They get tons of congratulations and hugs and kisses as they show off their rings, and Jonny's mom keeps blubbering to him in French. 

Jonny tells the story of the engagement, the elaborate scavenger hunt Patrick had sent him on, and makes sure to show the sappy poems to his sisters. Patrick doesn't even care when they start to tease him, because Jonny said yes. Jonny looks over at him then and Patrick just smiles back until Jonny leans over to kiss him.

Andree and Donna are already talking about wedding plans before brunch is over and his sisters are arguing about bridesmaids dresses. Patrick is content to let them do their thing. He has no idea how to plan a wedding; it was hard enough to ask Jonny to marry him.

The details aren't the important part anyway. It's the man who will be standing up there with him that is. With Jonny at his side Patrick knows that everything will be perfect.


End file.
